Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in a Valve Cap. More particularly, the present One-Way Valve Cap allows a person without tools to install the valve cap, but requires a tool to remove the valve cap.
Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Generally, a cap for a valve provides protection from the cap from contamination that can enter the valve, threads or other parts of the valve. The cap is usually threaded onto the valve at the factory and can easily be removed by manually unthreading the cap with the hands of a home owner or a technician. Because this valve cap can be easily removed or installed, it also makes the cap venerable from a person that is venting the valve as vandalism or from inhaling the gas. There have been some devices that require the installation and or removal of the cap with a specialized tool. There are two problems with the approach. The first problem is that a specialized tool is required to install the cap and the second problem is that this eliminates the ability of a home owner to install the cap.
A number of patents and or publications have been made to address the keeping the valve protected from unauthorized people. Many of these solutions require that the parts are fabricated from metal components and further require specialized keys that need to be purchased or can easily be lost. Exemplary examples of patents and or publication that try to address this/these problem(s) are identified and discussed below in the cited patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,873,475 issued on Feb. 23, 1999 to Anthony S. Volpe discloses a Container closure which converts from a child resistant to a non-child resistant configuration. The container closure can be converted from a child resistant configuration to a non-child resistant configuration. The container closure includes an external cap, an internal cap and a locking element. The locking element is inserted between the external cap and internal cap to form the non-child resistant configuration. This cap requires a specialized key for both insertion and removal and if the key is lost then the owner is no longer able to open the closure.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,612,455 issued on Sep. 2, 2003 to Joseph M. Byrne discloses a Cap Lock Assembly and System. In this patent the cap lock system restricts access to a threaded cylindrical end of an access or security device, such as a Schrader valve. An inner lock has a threaded cavity which screws onto an externally-threaded cylindrical end of the Schrader valve. While this patent provides a cap lock the cap lock requires to tool to both install and remove.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,905,060 issued on Dec. 9, 2014 to Larry Schlesinger et al., and discloses a tamper-resistant caps, assemblies and systems for use with a valve. The tamper-proof cap systems and methods use an access valve, such as a refrigeration access valve. The tamper-proof cap assembly is for use with an access valve that can include a cylindrical outer cap and a cylindrical inner cap, wherein the inner cap captivity resides within and rotates freely within the outer cap. While this prevents undesirable removal of the cap, it can require destructive removal of the inner and outer components to gain access to the valve.
What is needed is a one-way valve cap that provides protection to the valve, can be installed by a non-technician without a tool, requires a tool for removal and is cost effective to allow for an easy replacement that can be placed on every valve without special tools.